Critical Cover-Up

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Andy Marchman wasn’t exactly a party animal. He hated crowds, lacked social skills, and fit the description of what most would consider a loner. Having been raised on a pig farm in central Florida, Andy did not experience normal teenage escapades like most boys. After graduating from high school, he chose computer science as his field of study and obtained his AA degree from a community college. He completed his bachelor’s degree online to lessen contact with other students. Andy was basically an introvert.

Today, as he stared at the black digital clock in his austere office, he pondered the career choice that led to his position as Senior Engineer, Information Security at Orlando Memorial Medical Center. A sly smile appeared on his pale face as he mused. I’m as happy here as anywhere. I earn a living doing what I’m good at, and I don’t have to talk to too many people. Plus, I run the show. No one questions me, and I don’t have to answer to anyone.

His inflated sense of ego and arrogant attitude hid other character flaws. Andy seldom dated seriously; he had a reputation for short s****l flings with some of the hospital office staff. These meaningless relationships served to stroke his ego as well as satisfy his physical cravings. What he lacked in outward appearance and attractiveness, he apparently made up for between the sheets.

Andy awoke from his mental contemplation to concentrate on the computer screen in front of him. He focused his attention on activity from two screens in SICU, the critical care unit where his mother died. He blamed the unit and everyone associated with it for his mother’s death. Every time he allowed himself to remember that miserable week, a rush of adrenaline shot through his body. “I’ll fix all of you,” he muttered, grinding his teeth. This obsession is what drove his daily existence.

A little over a year ago his mother died unnecessarily after a botched surgery. He couldn’t bear hanging around in the hospital room with his siblings and stepfather as they watched her deteriorate day after day following what should have been a routine surgery. After an autopsy was performed and he learned that the surgeon, Dr. Joe Connolly, had left a sponge inside his mother, Andy vowed to get back at everyone involved. I hate that unit and I hate that f*****g Connolly. They’re going to pay.

And these SICU bitches who think they’re God’s gift to the earth have another thing coming too, he mused. Who do they think they are, trying to tell us that there was nothing else that could be done? Who died and made them the queens of this earth? His loathing for the SICU staff challenged him to find ways to make their lives as miserable as his. And he had the power of the computer. Thank you, God, for gifting me with these skills.